High End Fashion

A few random thoughts...

Sergio Garcia's bad day began long before his disgraceful, Roy McAvoy-esque performance at the famed 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. His 1st major blunder occurred even prior to his first practice shot on the range.



Sergio rocks the Adidas ClimaLite Players Golf Polo

Shirt also shown below:

Full-Frontal
 

Just a truly awful look. Not gonna give Sergio a pass for his cursory effort to participate in "Pink Out Day" at the Players Championship. There were many other players who donned various (solid) shades of pink as a tribute to Mother"s Day and breast cancer awareness, a nice gesture which also didn't prompt any calls to the fashion police.

Oh well Serg...at least you were "true to yourself."


During a commercial break, I happened upon a college baseball game between St. Johns and Notre Dame. Not sure why I chose to look-in, but when I did I was appalled to see the Red Storm wearing a jersey that was probably the "Home" version of this:

Half the Man I used to be...

Not sure what the concept is here, and at a loss as to why the lower half of the letters and numbers are sporadically colored in dark gray? This look plays even worse from the center field cam, as the numbers just look faded/torn-away. Props to the Johnnies for wearing the Rawlings "Coolflo" pro-style batting helmet, which was worn by most MLB players prior to the 2013 season. The casual version of this type of helmet-jersey ensemble would be a New Era 59-50 wool Yankees cap with an Ed Hardy tee.


On the subject of batting helmets, another disturbing trend that has fortunately not yet in vogue in MLB is the flat-colored batting helmet. Not a good look. Very military and kinda cheap looking.

2 Cal Student Athletes look "Unsmart" in their Blue and Gold

One last random thought. This has nothing to do with sports fashion, but I think I have a solution to the problem of NBA Centers/Big Men that can't make free throws. I guess you can call my approach "scared straight."  It's very simple. I would inform any bigman that shoots less than 65% from the foul line that he will have to change his free throw shooting style to under-hand. The under-hand technique will of course be taught by this man, NBA Hall of Famer, Rick Barry.

Rick "The Famer" Barry (hair courtesy of Dr. Rosanelli)

It was reported that Shaquille O'Neal would not shoot his free throws under-hand because he thought that the stroke was too wimpy, or effeminate. Shaq preserved his masculinity and didn't relinquish his "street-cred" while making 5,935 free throws during 11,252 attempts, for a career percentage of 52.7, which is about 23 percentage points below the 2010 NBA average of 76%.

Hard to understand where Shaq could have been coming from, because this doesn't look wimpy or effeminate at all:

The 6th best NBA Foul Shooter of All-Time (89.31%)

For those of you not fortunate to be from the San Francisco Bay Area, you might not be aware that "The Famer" has some less than desirable personality traits/characteristics (see Gary Radnich for details.) These small character flaws have (despite his best efforts) prevented an otherwise intelligent, articulate, Hall of Fame player from holding down any job relating to sports media since his retirement in 1980. To cut to the chase, Rick's not too much fun to be around.

So, in summary, you hit 65% of your free throws, or you shoot them under-hand and spend lots of "quality time" with "The Famer."



Back to "High End Fashion."  We all know that high end/designer brand fashion garments and accessories are very expensive (I once tried on a special order $50,000 alligator bomber jacket while working at Giorgio Armani - good fit.) I bet most of you didn't know that this Nike ensemble can cost up to $10,500.00 - see below:

Frank Gore looks comfy at a 49ers Practice

 

 

 

Doesn't look like much right? Well, let me explain. The same pants and socks, when (improperly) worn during an NFL game, can result in a fine of $5,250 for a 1st time offense. A second violation can result in a $10,500 fine.

 

Gore stays comfy at the 2012 NFC Championship Game in Hotlanta

 

 

 



Looks a lot like the same get-up, save the cool Visa patch in the practice uni pictured above (Gore recently confided to an associate/friend of mine that he likes to wear his 'practice' pants during games.) When asked why he does so given the hefty fine he potentially could incur, Gore just casually shrugged as if he hadn't given it much, if any previous thought.

 

Gore was not the only 49er that had some uniform issues this season. Also fined were defensive backs Dashon Goldson and Tarell Brown, pictured below:

 

Brown wears Red

 

 

 

Can you name Brown's violation by looking at the pic? Hint: check any old pic of Joe Montana. Goldson's ($17,750) in uniform-related fines on the other hand, had him asking (perhaps a higher-power) what he has to do in order to avoid the wrath of (ex 49er and current NFL VP of Football Operations) Merton Hanks.

Goldson requests an intervention from above


 

Watching a Youtube video of a favorite 80's band of mine, entitled "Ending on a High Note" has inspired me to end this post accordingly.

No Caption Necessary

 

 

 

Man, I Remember When...(part 2)

Man, I remember when head football coaches didn't (have to*) dress like equipment managers. Back in the day, for better or for worse, the Head Coach could wear whatever suited him.

Paul "Bear" Bryant Rocks His Plaid

Those were the days. I guarantee this guy (above) wasn't gonna let a shoe company tell him what to wear. Back then you could tell who was in charge by just glancing at the sideline. Nowadays, it might be difficult to pick the Head Coach out of a lineup that includes assistant coaches and trainers.

Phil Knight dresses Nick Saban

"Not sure if that's him, the guy I saw didn't have pleated pants?"


Surely, there is a happy medium. I mean, it's cool to look good and all, but the coach has to be comfortable as he patrols the sideline - after all, it's not a runway. Unfortunately, the effort to compromise between comfort and fashion has too often resulted in an ensemble like this:

Joepa Borrows a Player's Shoes

See detail below (if you can't see Joepa's Nikes on your phone.)

As it turned out, not all college football coaches shared the Bear's interest in fashion. In most cases it was a pedestrian desire for comfort that led coaches to eschew the confines of a sport coat and/or necktie. For a select few coaches though, having a full range of motion for their arms and upper body was a must.

OSU Legend Woody Hayes "coaches-up" a Buckeye player

Woody "objects" to a Clemson player's interception

"Not sure who gave me the forearm shiver...but it couldn't have been the old guy, right?"


I haven't gotten around to it yet, but "The" Ohio State football uniform may be the pole-sitter when I get around to listing the college football "Top 10."


Anyway, back on topic.


Fast forward 27 years and travel 2,109 miles from Columbus, Ohio to San Francisco, California.


How does that old saying go? "Money talks and bullshit walks?"

Well, right in the middle of Reebok's $250,000,000 deal with the NFL to be their exclusive merchandiser for all NFL apparel, in walks Mike Nolan.

In mid January 2005, Nolan, an 18 year NFL assistant coach, is hired as Head Coach of the San Francisco 49ers. While it remains unclear if Nolan discussed his intentions with respect to his sartorial aspirations, at any point during his interviews with then 49ers executives John York, Paraag Marathe and Terry Tumey, it soon became clear that Nolan intended to "dress for success." Setting aside smaller and less significant team-related issues such as these 2004 team stats: a turnover ratio of minus 19 (31st league rank); points per game allowed of 28.2 (32nd/last in the league); and a point differential of -193 (32nd/last in the league,) Nolan made wearing a suit during games a priority.

One small problem. Reebok's contract with the NFL stipulated that all coaches would be required to wear Reebok sportswear (IE: shirts; sweatshirts and other non-tailored jackets) during games. With the aforementioned issues set aside, Nolan sought a special exemption to wear a suit during games, in part as a 'tribute to his father and other great NFL coaches of his time.'  Reebok (and the NFL) possibly caught off guard by Nolan's vanity and displaced priorities, eventually agree to a compromise:

Nolan rocks an Armani, err Reebok Suit on the sidelines

Nolan is allowed to wear a Reebok (lol) manufactured suit for the team's 2006 home games.


Fast forward one more year.

Nolan's stint as 49er's Head Coach goes the way of most fashion trends and he is fired on October 20, 2007.

(The whereabouts of his Reebok suits are unknown.)

Man, I Remember When...

Man, I remember when tennis gear used to be cool. It's not like it's THAT bad today, but we can definitely go back to a better time.

Rocking the Fila Settantatre Polo

Probably the coolest tennis ensemble of all-time, worn by arguably the coolest player of all-time, Bjorn Borg.

Another Wimbledon victory

With Johnny Mac

You can still buy this warm-up jacket (in blue) on the Fila website.



This guy had some cool Adidas gear too back in the day.

 

 

 

 



Lendl (at the time) thought so much of his Adidas gear, that he became possibly the first tennis player to treat his match outfits as "disposable" or "single-use." He routinely would take the shirt and shorts brand new out of the plastic, wear them during the match, then leave the soiled duds at his hotel, on the floor - what a PIMP.

 

 

 

 

As the old saying goes, "you can't have the top, without the bottom."  Lotto's cool 'ventilated' shirt.

 

Hrbaty hits rock bottom in '05







 

 

 

Or you can have the top...or at least 90% of it?

I am a Traditionalist But...

(If) anyone has been reading my posts, it will be apparent that I tend to favor uniform designs that have traditional design elements, such as:

1. A Black, Blue or Red "primary" team color.

2. The use of a "secondary" contrasting color for trim and outlining - orange and gold work best.

3. The use of symmetrical striping on side panels of uniform top/jersey and bottom/pant/short.

One example of new "non-traditional" uniform that I like a lot is the Houston Rockets.

Linsanity

Cool logo and logotype. Non-traditional (but symmetrical) trim and side-panel design. Huge props to the Rockets for their "minimal" court design as well. Mid-Court logo is NOT over sized (main body of the logo doesn't exceed the 12 foot mid court circle.) In the actual court design, the side court (foul-line extended) and sideline/bench logos are too big, but overall it's a very appealing court design.

Over sized mid court logos are a disturbing trend in college basketball these days, and this trend has unfortunately spilled over into the NBA. My solution? A rule stating that no more than 25% of a logo can bleed off the 12' diameter of the mid court circle.

I really don't mind painting the lane or the outline of the court a solid, contrasting team color, but the "staining" of the inside of the 3-point area is NOT a good look. I prefer a court design that looks like this:

Of course, if you "Tinker" with a court design too much, you may end up with something like this:



The (Tinker Hatfield designed) Kilkenny Court at Matthew Knight Arena

 

 

 

 

 

Not bad...if you're on mushrooms.



 

When Wiil They Learn?

When will professional franchises and universities and colleges learn that there is no such thing as a minor redesign, or small modification of a classic uniform? In the interest of fairness relating to my last random thought post, I thought it would be appropriate to use an example from the cross-town rival of SC, UCLA.

This one hurts.

As previously stated, I am no SC fan. I am a huge UCLA fan though, so this isn't going to be easy for me. A couple random guys to give my argument some historical perspective:

 

 

 

 





We all know the UCLA history here, they had a decent coach, they won some titles, etc. As previously mentioned, the recent uniform change appears to be innocuous/insignificant and is somewhat difficult to detect to the untrained eye. Can you spot the change?

 

 

 

What happened to the waistband? Or to be more succinct, what happened to the blue and gold trim on the waistband? The elimination of the contrasting-colored waistband began to be seen in college basketball uniforms over the last decade or so (thank you Nike.) This uniform trend has spread like a virus to the NBA as well and has become the norm, with only a select few classic uniforms (Celtics, Knicks, Bulls) left that do not employ the "jumpsuit look." Even Skip's Spurs, who had one of the coolest ABA/NBA unis ever, have gone to the jumpsuit look.

The one and only George "Iceman" Gervin

Tony, Tim and Manu rock their jumpsuits

When did someone decide that basketball players would look better in a jumpsuit, as opposed to a tanktop and shorts? And if we were to extrapolate a bit, can we ever expect to see a basketball uniform that looks like this?

 



How Nike Ruined College Basketball

This random thought will be a prequel to a series that will focus on the current state of college basketball uniforms, specifically how "non-traditional" designs by Nike have contributed to the desperate situation that now exists.

After sleeping through the Oregon State Spring Game on Pac 12 Network, I woke up to a replay of the SC-Oregon game from the Coliseum last fall. One glimpse of the new socks and shoes, which are now composed of the colors "USC Cardinal/PMS 201c and USC Gold/PMS 123c" made me sick to my stomach.

I'm no SC fan. I'm definitely not a fan of their wunderkind head coach, Lane Kiffen. What I was a huge fan of though, was their adherence to the traditional design of their football uniform. I'm no SC historian, and I'm too lazy/incapable of going back more than 50 years, so let's just go back to this:


Mike Garrett former SC great and Athletic Director circa 1965

It's not a HD pic, but it shows the traditional jersey, helmet  and pant, worn with white socks and black shoes with white shoelaces. If anyone can name the manufacturer of the cleats worn by Mr. Garrett in the photo above, then you're too old to be reading a blog. That's right though, they appear to be "Spot-Bilt" - truly and unapologetically old-school.


Some other SC "notables" that ran roughshod with their feet confined in white socks and black shoes include:                                              


Left to right: OJ; Charles White; Marcus Allen and Reggie Bush

 

I'm not sure what prompted SC to abandon over 50 years of tradition and "update" their uniform from the knees down? I want to blame Nike, but they only manufacturer the shoes and socks. You would think that changing a half century of tradition might require the approval of someone in a high position of authority, so the question is, who runs the show at SC? It can't be Kiffen, can it? He definitely is a prime suspect. Any guy that wears a visor is clearly capable of far more serious fashion-related offenses. Hard to fathom Rhodes Scholar and two-time All American Pat Hayden being the driving force, or signing-off on the change to cardinal and gold-colored shoes and socks. Do we need to go as high as President C.L. Max Nikias?

I would really like to know. Because this is a disgrace:

Bottom 5 MLB Uniforms

Not that there was anyone who was eagerly awaiting my "Bottom 5" MLB uniforms, but in the event that there was, I apologize. I got a little sidetracked with some random thoughts.

Bottom 5 MLB Uniforms (this listing excludes all "Alternate" jerseys since most are god-awful and should be worn only for batting practice on rainy days.) Remember there are 25 points possible.


26. Atlanta Braves Home (10 pts)

 

 

 

 

27. Minnesota Twins Home (6.5 pts)

 

28. Colorado Rockies Road (6 pts)

 

 

 

29. Tampa Bay Rays Home (4.5 pts)

 



 

 

 

30. Arizona Diamondbacks Road - or Home or Alternate - or Whatever (2.5 pts)

 



 

Okay, let me admit that 2.5 points is kinda harsh. I did take a half-pt (0.5) deduction for "General Principles" (in honor of the great Eddie Bane) but the numbers after that don't lie:

 

Team Colors (score=1)

Logo (score=0.5)

Cap (score=0.5)
Tradition lol (score=0)
Design (score=1)

The zero for Tradition was the only zero given for any category for any of the 30 MLB teams. The only "tradition" that the Diamondbacks have, is one of terribad unis:

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nuff said (apologies to "The Unit".)







  

 







 



 

 





If Something Ain't Broke

If something ain't broke...don't fix it. I like cliches. I also believe that this particular cliche should be applied whenever teams get the urge to change or tweak their uniform design.

Example: San Francisco 49ers

Joe Montana

The 49ers, somehow dissatisfied with only 4 Super Bowl titles from 1981 to 1989, decided at some point in the early 90's that it would be a good time to "move on," and "improve" a uni that is one of the best of all time in the NFL.




Steve Young

The unnecessary and gratuitous changes here may appear to be subtle, but the impact on the overall design is significant. Note the introduction of the black border and shadow on the numbers, along with a slight color change of the jersey base color. The 49ers also began to wear an "alternate" white pant with a crimson and black stripe. The helmet design and logo remains the same, an apparent oversight by the individual(s) in charge of the new uniform concept (this oversight would be addressed soon enough though - see below.)



The new look is now complete.


A gold outline now surrounds the white block numerals, complemented with the black shadowing. A red stripe with black outline now appears on the pant and helmet. The helmet cage is now that weird 'crimson' color, and the 'new look' was complete - well almost.



Oh Boy...

The infamous 1991 press conference, where the new logo was unveiled. If it's unclear why George, Eddie D. and Carmen look so unhappy, it may be time for an eye exam.


All is well that ends well.

 

Win-Win situation - whomever you picked to QB the Niners, they were gonna look good.